I’m a long-time Overwatch player. Because I lived in New York for 3 years, I made this clay model with New york theme to demonstrate my level design skills. Tools: Unreal Engine, Adobe Illustrator.

In the following picture, Empire State Building is on the right and the iconic building on the Times Square. The roads below it are blocked by two NYPD cars, behind which are moving traffic that players are forbidden to go in. Because of the art style and gameplay of Overwatch, all the buildings and everything else are much smaller than what they are in reality.

The overview of the map is the picture below. The game mode is “Escort” in Overwatch. I drafted the first third part of the map (point A of Escort). Players are divided into Attackers and Defenders. Each team has 6 players, respectively. Attackers’ goal is to have at least one team member stay around the payload and force Defenders away to move the payload to reach Point A via the cyan route. The payload is represented by the white cube at the start of route. Defenders’ goal is the have at least one team member to stop the payload.

The red area suggests that players cannot stand there, and the rest is the area that players may move on. The bottom right corner is the moving traffic, and the left top corner is a New York Subway platform on the high ground. By design the payload will reach riverside after Point A and turn right along the river, which is not shown on the picture. There are trains going the bridge on the high ground periodically, and the direction it moves leads Attackers’ eyes to the subsequent target points.

Numbers represents tactical positions, and red lines are paths that players may go through. Because the time to kill (TTK) is long in Overwatch, along with many abilities presented, there is more open space in the level than other first person shooters. There are three inner space marked with R1, R2, R3. Each of them has a medkit. The fourth medkit is below the stairs on P2.

Attackers are spawned in Empire State Building on the right. There are two exits located in the front on the ground floor and in the right on the second floor, respectively. The inner view is like below:

A newsstand is at the front exit as a cover. A elevator entrance of New York trains is to the right of Empire State Building right in front of the side exit.

The First Section

Defenders can suppress Attackers at Point 1 on the high ground, especially with Bunker composition using Orisa, in order to stop and weaken Attackers.

Attackers have two counter plans: (1) flank via the side exit and up stairs to repel the Defenders off the high ground.

(2) Use dive comp to make a dive using Winston, Genji, etc. Push Defenders to the choke point to focus fire or repel them off the high ground.

Defenders can allocate a shooter at Point 3 or Point 4. Only heroes with mobilities like Widowmaker and Hanzo can get to Point 4.

Once Defenders get off the high ground, it is hard for them to get back without mobility. Because the only way is via the stairs which is close to the spawn point of Attackers and is under Attackers’ over-watch.

Defenders can also hold at Point 2 for a head-on fight.

Attackers can make a flank via P3 and P4, or make a longer detour via P1.

Defenders can allocate a shooter at Point 3 to support and over-watch.

If Attackers has escorted the payload to Point 2. The battle goes in the second section.

The Second Section

The second part is also a wide straight road. It is a bit harder to defend. Defenders would hold at Point 5 first, and moves to Point 7 later.

Point 6 is a tactical position for Widowmaker. Her suppressive fire basically covers the entire road. Attackers must force the Widowmaker away before moving forward.

When Defenders hold at Point 7. It is a major choke point so both teams do not have good paths to flank each other. Defenders can go via P5 or P7 to get Point 3 to flank Attackers, but both will be seen by Attackers. Attackers can go via P1 with Reaper or Reinhardt to make a head-on fight, or use heroes with mobilities to go via P5 without being seen. R2 is like below:

Point 3 is on the high ground, which is a key. The sight is good and there are covers as well. A shooter there may provide suppressive fire to almost all other tactical positions. There is a medkit in the room nearby. The team who holds this point has the advantage to maintain resources and weaken the enemy. Attackers can attack this spot via P6 while Defenders can attack from P7 through R3.

Inner space of R3:

Point 9 is experimental. The Subway platform is on the further side of the bridge, which is the only place that shooters can stand on. With periodical trains coming to block both sides’ views, it is not a good position to provide fire but it is also risky for Attackers to dive and attack the shooters at this place.

Another interesting design is that Attackers can see trains near to their spawn point before arriving Point 7: